JULIE Clarke has been teaching women how to have a drug-free, natural birth for 25 years.
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The childbirth and parenting educator who is also a trained Calmbirth practitioner said a shortage of midwives, the private health system and women's fears were largely to blame for the reliance on drugs during labour and the resulting surgical intervention rate.
Ms Clarke, of Sylvania, promotes the principles of an "active birth" at her prenatal classes and warns women to avoid winding up "on their back" during labour.
"It's to do with avoiding the stranded beetle position," she said.
Ms Clarke said women began being "processed, conveyor belt style" in maternity units about the time of World War II and beds were introduced for the doctor's comfort.
This coincided with a rise in the use of drugs and forceps.
She said this continued until the 1970s and '80s when a book, New Active Birth, extolled the benefits of moving around — and staying upright — during labour.
Ms Clarke said the biggest threat to women giving birth naturally was fear and a private health system that preyed on it.
"We have not got faulty women going to private hospitals. They are fearful, not faulty," she said, adding there was no incentive for private hospitals to promote natural birth.
Ms Clarke said women's fears led them to request an epidural but once drugs were introduced during labour "common epidural complications set in" and meant it was more likely surgical intervention was needed.
"An epidural slows the blood flow down [which] reduces the oxygenation of the baby which increases the risk of the baby going into distress," she said.
Ms Clarke said recent studies linked the increase in medical interventions during birth to a rise in postnatal depression.
She said the state government was aware of the need to arrest the climbing caesarean rate and in 2010 released a paper, Maternity - Towards Normal Birth in NSW.
She said she would be interested to see if private hospitals in particular would heed the government's calls.
Details: julieclarke.com.au
